


The Plantar Sibling Starter Pack

by Something Blue (clarademeanor)



Category: Amphibia (Cartoon)
Genre: Anne is a Good Big Sister, Because I Love That Kinda Content, Fluff, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Interspecies Adoption, Just Snippets Focused on the Plantar Siblings, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Oneshot collection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Cuddling, We Appreciate Her, sibling relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:54:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26477554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarademeanor/pseuds/Something%20Blue
Summary: There are some small moments in time that can only really be shared properly by siblings, and it's funny how nothing- not age, background, or even species can get in the way of this.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 57





	1. Family Challenge

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! I hope you enjoy what will hopefully be a long series of little chapters.  
> I have a few more waiting to be published, but please know that I will be going on vacation for a few days, so they might not be up until then. In the meantime, please enjoy!

It was a quiet, muggy sort of evening, and the Plantar children were seated inside the house, in the living room.

They were watching a film they had already seen- one of the ones about fighting to achieve your dreams against all odds. The familiarity they had with the story made it a much more casual sort of viewing for them. It was far easier to strike up conversation while it played, or to get up without pausing.

Indeed, about halfway through, Anne rose from her seat and sauntered over into the kitchen, murmuring something to herself about getting snacks.

Sprig and Polly ignored the sound of rummaging that followed, too invested in the story displayed by the little magic box- even if they already knew how it ended.

The next moment, though, they were jolted from their slightly mindless entertainment as the human came running back into the living room, a wide grin on her face.

“Score!” she crowed, holding up a bag of beetle bites for them to see.

Polly, finally fully diverting her gaze from the movie, gasped.

“When did you go to the store? You could have taken me!”

Anne's pleased smile didn’t leave her face. “I didn’t. Just found it in the cupboard. Wayyyyy in the back.”

Her expression _did_ falter for a second as she took a double take at the bag. “This stuff doesn’t expire, does it?”

She continued to ponder her own question for a moment before eventually shrugging it off. Sitting down with the bag in hand, she made herself comfortable on the couch next to them, and resumed her focus on the movie, which was still playing.

She was just mentally catching up to everything she had missed during her absence, when Anne became acutely aware of Polly’s gaze fixed resolutely on her.

She sat and watched the screen, managing to ignore it for a minute or two, but eventually the uncomfortable feeling grew too strong to bear.

She huffed, tapped the screen to pause the film, and turned to raise an eyebrow down at the polliwog. “Yes?”

Polly returned the look with one of her own.

“Are you gonna _share_ , or what?”

“No way! I went through all the trouble to get the bag outta the kitchen,” Anne scoffed slightly, gesturing emphatically with the aforementioned bag in hand.

“It’s not even yours!” Polly protested.

Anne shrugged. “Eh, it’s finder’s keeper’s, dude. Gotta respect the rules.”

Between them, Sprig watched their back and forth, a tad unsure if taking a side would be wise at this juncture.

“I’ll fight you for it,” Polly immediately offered, determination sparking in her eyes.

Anne drew back, cradling the bag close. “No way. I’m not getting flailed over beetle bites.”

The polliwog narrowed her eyes. “If you don’t care about it, then hand it over.”

The human responded in kind, though a spark of humor lit up her gaze. “Oh, I care. It’s just probably not worth my life.”

Polly huffed. “Fine! At least let me try _something_!”

Sprig, sensing an opening to get involved without being caught in any crossfire, hopped up on the arm of the couch and struck a dramatic pose.

“Looks like we’ll have to settle this with a family challenge! Something that pits your strength and force of will against each other in a glorious battle for supremacy…”

Anne interrupted his spirited monologue, raising a hand in protest.

“Uh, no. I’m already seeing where this is going. I’m not doing that mud wrestling thing- I don’t care what you say.”

“Well, it doesn’t have to be that exactly,” Sprig said. “I was thinking more like... you could let her try to take it from your hands.”

Anne’s brow raised again. “What, that’s all? No fight to the death? Nothing gross or life-threatening?”

Sprig shrugged. “Hop Pop’s napping, so we can’t afford to make it a full-scale family challenge.”

“I accept!” Polly hopped off the couch, onto the table.

“So be it! But first, some ground rules.” Sprig spread his arms, speaking to an imaginary audience. Both Anne and Polly rolled their eyes, but decided to allow him to proceed in his own weird way.

“Polly, you have thirty seconds to get the bag away from Anne. If you can wrestle it from her, it’s yours.”

“Anything goes?” Polly side-eyed him hopefully.

He considered for a moment. “Mmm… No biting, no weapons.”

“Dang.” She pounded the table with disappointment.

“Anne, just don’t let Polly take it from you. Got it?”

“Yeah dude, pretty sure I understand.” She rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

“Okay, okay.” Sprig jumped off the arm of the couch, backing away to a reasonable distance so as not to get caught up in the veritable battle of titans, while Anne and Polly both positioned themselves to begin their strange game of tug-o-war.

There was a moment of silence, quickly broken by Sprig.

“Annnnnd go!”

Polly immediately put the whole of her tiny self into her effort- which managed to be quite impressive, since the tadpole’s relative strength was not something to overlook.

Anne, for her part, kept her grip firm and dug her nails in, having the advantage of leverage and a better hold.

After a moment, it was clear that aggression wouldn't triumph over steady strength and a firm grasp, at least in this case. For all her ferocity, the polliwog didn’t stand a chance, and soon enough the thirty seconds were up.

Sprig, having carefully watched their contest, offered his younger sister a sheepish smile.

“Eh, sorry Polly. The bag is Anne’s.”

“No fair, she has claws! _I haven’t even got fingers_!” whined Polly, crossing her flippers in a pout.

“Sucks to be you then. Should have thought twice about the game you were agreein’ to.”

Anne stuck out her tongue in mock callousness, while carefully selecting one of the bites and passing it over to her. The younger child gasped, then took it, eagerly.

With that problem solved, the movie was promptly resumed as normal, all three children quickly re-investing themselves in a story they already knew.


	2. Bad Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to update! I got a bit bogged down with mental health issues, but I'm doing alright now. Anyway, enjoy this new chapter, and feel free to tell me what you thought!

Polly woke from her dream with a start and something like a half-formed yelp. 

Quickly, she caught herself, silencing the sound as she took in her surroundings. She was in her bucket, bathed in the darkness of her room. 

She was at home. None of it had really happened. 

For some reason, though, the idea wasn’t too comforting. It was one thing to dream up something nightmarish- another entirely to react with such fear, as if she were something small and weak.

And yet that was exactly what she had done, in the dream- she had fled. It was sickening, honestly.

 _So stupid_ , she reminded herself. _I would never do that._

 _You just did,_ another thought supplied rather unhelpfully. 

She growled quietly, and wondered if it was possible to assault one’s inner voice.

In any case, she was awake now, and not eager to go back to sleep. 

The dim moonlight was shining through the window and casting eerie shadows on the walls, throwing dark, twisted forms into view- and suddenly she felt like getting some fresh air.

She went down the stairs as quickly and quietly as she dared, turning the corner into the kitchen. Hauling herself up onto the counter, she allowed herself a shaky breath from her new vantage point. 

She _could_ have gone into the living room, but that meant passing the front door, and going into the room where she would be the most visible from outside.

Speaking of which...

She pressed her face to the small window, scanning the visible bit of yard beyond for shadowy figures- then a slight sound from somewhere behind her startled her out of her search.

She suddenly went very still, not daring to move.

It seemed someone else was awake- either that, or she had found herself in a very bad situation.

She sat there for another few seconds, not making a sound. 

Over time living in a creaky old house, she had learned to identify the others by their footsteps; she strained for a moment, listening. 

Rather than either set of short, flat-footed steps she had grown up all her life hearing, it was more like a series of soft, heavy thumps- so she was able to distinguish the culprit almost immediately.

“Anne,” she whispered as loudly as she dared, feeling stupid and vulnerable all at once. “Anne!”The quiet thumping stopped, then began again, moving faster. Soon after, a large shape padded quickly into the unlit room.

“Mmh… Polly? That you?”

Sure enough, the human stood there, barefoot and looking even more tussled than usual, squinting weakly at her in the darkness. 

Polly didn’t give herself any time to think: she hopped off the counter, and landed squarely atop Anne’s head, burying herself a bit in the thick mass of curls.

“Whoa dude! You okay?” 

Anne sounded surprised, worried even. It made her feel small, in a way she didn’t know if she liked.

“Yeah! Yeah, everything’s cool,” she said too quickly.

Anne _hmmed_ at that, and Polly knew she wasn’t buying it, but she refused to concede to her own feelings just yet. 

“So… What are you doing up?” she asked, eager to divert attention away from herself. She leaned over the side of Anne’s head in an attempt to see her face.

“Um, getting water. It kinda seems like you had the same idea though, huh?”

Anne’s gentle tone told Polly that she was giving her an out. It was a little sad to be accepting that, honestly, but at that moment she didn’t really care.

“Yeah, that’s why I’m up. For water.” 

She spoke with a bravado she couldn’t properly muster in her current state, and again, she was sure Anne noticed. 

_Ugh. Stupid dream._ She just wanted this whole mess to be done with.

The human went quiet for a second, and despite not being able to see her expression properly, Polly knew she was thinking hard.

“Well, I guess you’d want to go back to your bucket, then. You wouldn’t want to...come down and hang out in the basement?” She spoke slowly, but gently, and Polly went quiet as she pretended to think it over. 

“Yeah, I guess that would be okay.”

“Mmm. Do you want me to like, carry you?” She pantomimed the action with her hands so the younger could see, sounding a tad unsure.

Polly considered it for a moment. Normally she would have been satisfied with being carried in Anne’s arms, and even now the offer of warmth was tempting, but…

“Nah,” she said. “This is fine.”

The older girl seemed to go still again, before softly answering. 

“...Okay, dude.”

Quietly, with the polliwog still sitting on her head, Anne carefully made her way from the kitchen to the trapdoor and started slowly down the rickety stairs.

Someone who had spent less time around the human might have feared they would fall off from this sort of motion, but Polly knew better. 

She was aware that Anne had a lot of experience doing the same sort of thing with Sprig, and all the practice meant her balance was completely uninhibited by the tadpole’s presence.

Even through her lingering fear, she couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of jealousy- Anne got to be _big_ , and fully mobile no less. It must have been so nice.

Still, being so (comparatively) high off the ground made her feel powerful, and that, in turn, made it much easier to forget how she had been feeling just a few minutes prior.

All too soon though, it was over, and Anne was lifting her off her head and depositing her onto her mattress. 

She turned to tap a glowshroom, and the soft light illuminated the room, as well as the older girl’s serious expression.

“So. Nightmare?” 

She wasn’t mincing words, it seemed. Polly wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or uncomfortable. She compromised by averting her eyes, staring over at the rumpled covers instead. 

“It was just one of those ‘something’s chasing me’ dreams.” She tried to shrug it off despite not having shoulders to shrug.

“Like, a murderer? Or a monster?” Anne pressed gently.

“I dunno. I didn’t actually get to see.” She muttered, and turned away. “Ugh. It’s- it’s dumb.”

Anne grabbed her, gently spinning her around with one hand to face her again. “It’s _not_ dumb. I mean, almost dying is scary.”

“Yeah, but we almost die _all the time_.” Her voice came out as more shrill a sound than she had intended. Anne merely waved a hand, seeming unbothered. 

“I know, I know. But like, handling bad situations is always worse when you’re alone.”

“How would you know?”

The human raised an eyebrow, looking at her with incredulity.

“Dude, I lived in a cave for the first few days I was here. It sucked harder than pretty much anything else I’ve ever gone through. I’d take almost getting killed with you guys over that any day.”

“And all that stuff from back then... doesn’t bother you anymore?” she almost whispered, and hated the sound of her voice.

“Nah, not really. Not now that I live in a house with a nice family who took me in.” 

Anne’s expression grew a bit sheepish at this, as if she was hearing herself voice these thoughts for the first time. Still, she continued on.

“That’s the thing, I think. No matter how bad your dreams are, you get to wake up in a world where you’re not alone.” 

Polly sat there, taking that in.

“Huh. I guess that’s true. I just… I don’t like how weak I feel, y’know?” Now it was her turn to feel embarrassed, apparently. Still, if Anne could take it, so could she.

“Yeah. I do.” The other’s gaze didn’t waver. “But, like, you can’t control how you feel when you’re sleeping. And they’re just dreams. They don’t decide what you’re really like.”

The tadpole blinked in surprise, taking that in. 

“You’re right. In real life, I’d flail that.. whatever-it-was into a puddle if I got the chance!”

Anne chuckled, catching the slight surge of spiritedness. 

“I bet you would. And you know, it doesn’t matter what _my_ dreams try to tell me. No one’s gonna get me or my fam while I’m around!” 

That really did get Polly to brighten up. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah!” 

Anne bared her teeth in a subdued impression of fierceness. 

This spurred the tadpole on further, and she moved to lean against Anne’s leg, stars still in her eyes.

“Ugh, we _have_ to work together to kill something sometime! We would be _unstoppable_!”

“For sure…” Anne nodded, though seeming a bit slower than before. She looked as if she were about to say something else, but she interrupted herself with a yawn before she got the chance. 

Polly, for the moment, did not seem to share in this sleepy sentiment. 

“I am feeling _amped_!” She grinned, feeling adrenaline overpower her own exhaustion. 

Anne, eyelids now drooping a bit, scooped her up to hold her closer.

“Eh, save that energy for tomorrow, girl. Now is the time for recharging batteries and whatnot.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“You know- like, we gotta get some real rest so we’ll be ready for the day, and all that.”

“Ugh, but I just got hyped!” Polly whined softly as she was deposited onto one of Anne’s pillows and given the corner of one of the blankets. 

There had been no agreement to have her sleep there for the night- it was just something both of them knew was needed.

“I know, I know. It’s late, though, and I’m actually tired, dude. It’s the middle of the night.”

Polly still grumbled at this, however, and Anne was quick to add on further. 

“Hey, but y’know, we can totally find something to beat up in the morning, ‘kay? It’ll just be you and me.”

Despite herself, the younger child managed another grin at the thought. “Sounds nice.”

. . . . .

It really was time to rest, it seemed. 

Once Polly had (still slightly) begrudgingly found a good position to lay in, Anne had turned off the light and settled down beside her. 

The warm, weighted presence was comforting in a way she couldn’t really explain- it spoke to something subconscious, probably. It was really just too late in the night to dwell on it.

Letting these thoughts go, she yawned, and sank further into the covers. 

The air was still, save for soft, deep breathing close nearby. 

Everything seemed to be peaceful, for the time being. She couldn’t wait to disturb it all at some point tomorrow.

It was funny, really- considering her earlier spike of adrenaline, falling into unconsciousness was quicker and easier than she had expected. 

Sleep came quite swiftly, in fact, and that night Polly had no more dreams, nightmarish or otherwise.


End file.
